Yuuki remained quiet for a long moment.
Then he spoke over the squad-wide communications channel.
His voice reached everyone.
The western Razor Gunship.
The eastern Razor Gunship.
The Daedalus command room.
Even Yorktown monitoring Grimm's reconnaissance.
"So..."
"Let me get this straight."
He folded his arms inside the Mark 86.
"The Sirens attacked humanity forty... maybe fifty years ago."
The Shipgirls silently nodded.
"But according to the historical archive we recovered from the Azur Lane Headquarters..."
"...the Sirens were supposedly created by the Creators' partner."
He looked toward Eugen.
"That's what the records say."
Eugen nodded slowly.
"They do."
Yuuki frowned.
"Then something doesn't add up."
Wales quietly listened.
"The Sirens appear."
"They nearly wipe humanity out."
"They push civilization to the brink."
He began counting on his fingers.
"Then..."
"Humanity somehow discovers an abandoned Siren facility."
"No guards."
"No defenses."
"Just..."
"...a treasure trove of advanced technology."
Holographic files appeared from his wrist display.
"Wisdom Cube research."
"Artificial Core architecture."
"Shipgirl construction."
He looked around the cabin.
"And humanity just..."
"...finds all of it?"
Silence.
Yuuki continued.
"Let me guess."
"Human scientists reverse-engineer Siren technology."
"They create artificial cores and wisdom cubes."
"They combine them with historical warship data."
"They use nationwide female neural templates."
"And that's how Shipgirls are born."
Hipper slowly nodded.
"...That is the accepted history."
Yuuki's expression remained thoughtful.
"So humanity..."
"...using technology conveniently left behind by the enemy..."
"...suddenly creates an army capable of pushing the Sirens back."
He looked toward everyone.
"Doesn't that sound..."
"...a little convenient?"
No one answered.
He enlarged the recovered historical timeline.
"The enemy arrives."
"The enemy nearly wins."
"The enemy 'accidentally' leaves behind exactly the technology needed to defeat them."
"And humanity successfully reverse-engineers it in only a few years."
He slowly shook his head.
"Attack and left behind the very weapon that needed to beat them? Somehow lose?"
The girls fell silent—Nikkes and shipgirls alike. Now that he mentioned it, it did sound rather absurd.
"Cheap theatrical facade. I don't buy it."
The Razor Gunship became completely silent.
Even on the Daedalus...
The Shipgirls watching from the command room exchanged uncertain glances.
Yuuki looked toward the projection.
"I've fought enough wars in three lifetimes..."
"...to know when something feels manufactured."
He tapped the timeline as he draw it using his hologram pen.
"This doesn't read like history."
"It reads like..."
"...sirens wanted humanity to find it."
Eugen slowly frowned.
"...You think..."
"...the base was intentionally abandoned?"
Yuuki nodded.
"Maybe."
"Or maybe..."
"...Siren wanted Shipgirls to exist."
Yuu's voice came over the communications link from the second Razor Gunship.
"Chief..."
"I've actually been thinking the same thing."
"If the Sirens truly possessed overwhelming technological superiority..."
"...why leave behind their greatest advantage?"
"Unless..."
She paused.
"...it was never an accident."
The entire network fell silent.
Yorktown quietly looked at Grimm's reconnaissance feed.
"...Commander..."
"...are you saying..."
Yuuki slowly nodded.
"I think the Sirens didn't lose control of the situation."
"I think..."
"...they guided it."
He looked once more at the historical files.
"They attacked humanity."
"They left behind the tools to create Shipgirls."
"And now..."
He looked at the massive Rapture fortress appearing on the tactical display.
"...we've got Raptures."
"Mirror Seas."
"Origin Cubes."
"Wisdom Cubes."
"Arcane Cubes."
"Bastion Cubes."
"And multiple worlds colliding."
He slowly exhaled.
"I have a feeling..."
"...we're still missing the biggest piece of this puzzle."
No one disagreed.
Because for the first time...
When they looked back at the history they had accepted for decades...
It no longer seemed like a series of coincidences.
It looked...
Like someone had been arranging the board from the very beginning.
Yuuki remained deep in thought.
Then another question surfaced.
"When the Sirens attacked humanity for the very first time..."
He looked toward Yorktown's projection.
"Were there any humanoid Sirens?"
"Observers."
"Purifiers."
"Testers."
"Or any low level humanoid sirens?"
"Anything resembling the ones we've fought?"
Yorktown immediately shook her head.
"No."
"The historical records only mention unmanned Siren vessels."
"Suicide boats."
"Autonomous warships."
"The same type you've captured and studied."
Yuuki slowly nodded.
"Hmm..."
"...All right."
"I think I'm beginning to understand."
The women aboard both Razor Gunships remained silent.
Even the command room aboard the Daedalus listened carefully.
Yuuki enlarged the timeline once more.
"I don't think the Sirens came to conquer humanity."
He paused.
"I think they came..."
"...to create something."
"What?"
Several voices asked simultaneously.
Yuuki pointed toward the first event.
"The Sirens invade."
"They don't immediately exterminate humanity. With their levels and powers, they could do so easily."
"They push civilization to the brink."
"Just enough."
He advanced the timeline.
"Then..."
"Humanity conveniently discovers an abandoned Mirror Sea."
"Inside it..."
"Everything required to build Wisdom Cubes."
"Artificial Core research."
"Construction methodology."
"Shipgirl architecture."
He looked toward everyone.
"So humanity does exactly what desperate civilizations always do."
"They use it."
"They reverse-engineer it."
"It took ten years,"
"They managed to create Shipgirls."
He tapped the holographic image of a Wisdom Cube.
"Artificial humanoids."
"Human neural templates."
"Advanced artificial cognition."
"Wisdom Cubes acting as the central processing core."
He looked toward Yuu's hologram.
"And somehow..."
"...those Shipgirls begin defeating the Sirens."
Yuu finished the thought.
"...By an overwhelming margin."
"Exactly."
Yuuki nodded.
"Far too quickly."
He changed the display again.
"Then comes Phase Two."
"Humanity grows confident."
"They've beaten back the Sirens."
"They've reverse-engineered their technology."
He looked toward the Iron Blood Shipgirls.
"And humans..."
"...being humans..."
"...become ambitious."
"They don't stop with conventional Shipgirls."
"They begin experimenting with captured Siren technology itself."
Several Shipgirls quietly nodded.
They had heard stories of those experiments.
Yuuki continued.
"So the Sirens prepare for that as well."
"They create another cube."
"A variation specifically compatible with Siren systems."
He draws another thing.
"Metal Cubes."
"The perfect interface."
"They allow Shipgirls to wield Siren-derived rigging."
"Far more powerful."
"But..."
He paused.
"...only because the Sirens wanted them to."
Silence.
Yuuki looked around the cabin.
"If I were designing an infiltration weapon..."
"I wouldn't hide my backdoor inside the warship."
"I'd hide it..."
"...inside the operating system."
Understanding slowly appeared across several faces.
Yuu quietly nodded.
"...The cube."
Yuuki pointed directly at her.
"Exactly."
"The Metal Cube."
"The Sirens never intended humanity to control it forever."
"They simply waited."
He zoomed into the engineering report Vergil had compiled.
"Remember the captured Siren vessel?"
"The one Vergil dismantled?"
Yuu immediately brought up the report.
"During the core analysis..."
"He discovered dormant executable code."
"Not damaged."
"Not corrupted."
"Dormant."
Yuuki nodded.
"A malicious routine."
"Waiting for an activation condition."
He folded his arms.
"So if humanity built siren based Shipgirls around Siren-derived cores..."
"...all the Sirens had to do..."
"...was wake up the code they had hidden there from the beginning."
The room became noticeably quieter.
Yorktown slowly spoke.
"...Meaning..."
"...those Metal Cubes were never truly ours."
Yuuki gave a single nod.
"They were Trojan horses."
"They weren't stolen technology."
"They were gifted technology."
"Technology designed to betray its owner."
Rapi crossed her arms.
"So the Sirens expected humanity to become overconfident."
Yuuki smiled faintly.
"They didn't need to predict it."
"They understood human nature."
"If you hand humanity a stronger weapon..."
"...someone will eventually use it."
"Or.. someone will create things to surpass it."
He looked once more at the timeline.
"So far..."
"Every major leap in military technology..."
"Has conveniently originated from Siren artifacts."
"Wisdom Cubes."
"Mirror Seas."
"Metal Cubes."
"Siren rigging."
He slowly exhaled.
"I'm beginning to suspect..."
"...we've been looking at this backwards."
"They weren't losing a war."
"They were running an experiment."
Silence settled over both Razor Gunships and the Daedalus command room.
No one could immediately refute the theory.
Because every event they knew...
Fit the pattern a little too well.
Yuuki slowly shook his head.
"No..."
"I think it's more complicated than that."
Everyone waited.
"I don't think humanity created a second generation of Sirens."
He looked toward the tactical display.
"I think..."
"...those became the original Sirens."
Confused expressions spread throughout both Razor Gunships.
"What do you mean, Commander?" Yorktown asked over the comms.
Yuuki enlarged the timeline again.
"Think about it."
"The first invasion."
"Only unmanned ships."
"No humanoid Sirens."
"No Observers."
"No Purifiers."
"No Testers."
"Nothing."
He pointed to the first stage.
"The attack wasn't designed to wipe humanity out."
"It was designed to force humanity into desperation."
"They had to believe extinction was inevitable."
He advanced the timeline.
"Then..."
"Humanity discovers the abandoned Mirror Sea."
"They reverse-engineer Wisdom Cubes."
"They create Shipgirls."
"They repel the invasion."
"So far..."
"Everything happens exactly as planned."
Yuu slowly nodded.
"...And then humanity becomes overconfident."
"Exactly."
Yuuki replied.
"They begin studying captured Siren vessels."
"They start integrating Siren technology."
"They develop Metal Cubes."
"They create Shipgirls capable of wielding Siren rigging."
He folded his arms.
"But the Sirens already anticipated that."
"They embedded dormant control routines inside those systems from the very beginning."
"They didn't activate them immediately."
"They waited."
"Waited for enough Metal Cube users."
"Wanted enough compatible hardware."
"So they could awaken an entirely new generation."
He looked around the cabin.
"Humanoid Sirens."
Silence.
Yuuki continued.
"They needed time."
"Time to assemble."
"Time to infiltrate."
"Time to grow."
"And they couldn't do that while humanity and the Shipgirls remained united."
He tapped another point on the timeline.
"So..."
"They manufactured division."
His finger stopped over a single name.
"Amagi."
The Sakura Shipgirls quietly lowered their heads.
"I don't believe Amagi's death was simply an unfortunate tragedy."
"I think it was the catalyst."
"The event the Sirens needed."
He writes Akagi's name.
"They manipulated her grief."
"They promised resurrection."
"They whispered about Orochi capable of resurrecting Amagi."
"They nurtured her desperation."
"So the Sakura Empire exhausted enormous resources building Orochi."
"Exactly as the Sirens wanted."
He turned toward the rest of the map.
"And while everyone focused on the coming war..."
"...the Sirens quietly assembled their own forces."
Enterprise's calm voice suddenly came through the communications network.
"I can explain how the war began. Continuing commander's theory."
Everyone listened.
"Back then around 40 years after the end of the first siren war against humanity, a rift gradually formed between the factions."
"The Eagle Union and Royal Navy found themselves increasingly opposed to the Sakura Empire and Iron Blood."
She paused briefly.
"Reinforcements were dispatched to one of our Azur Lane forward bases near Sakura territory. Before our main naval headquarters was established, we operated out of that forward base—Pearl Harbor."
Yuuki frowned quietly. "Terrifyingly coincidental."
"Prince of Wales welcomed Illustrious and Unicorn."
"Ayanami infiltrated the base to gather intelligence. Back then, she came as an allied shipgirl from the Sakura Empire."
A faint smile appeared on Enterprise's face.
"But instead..."
"...she accidentally befriended Javelin..."
"Laffey..."
"...and Unicorn."
Several people chuckled quietly.
Enterprise continued.
"Not long afterward..."
"The Sakura Empire launched a surprise assault."
"Led by Akagi and Kaga."
"I read that Ayanami and Javelin..."
"...were forced to fight despite not wanting to."
"The defenders were gradually overwhelmed."
She paused.
"Then..."
"...I arrived."
Neon grinned.
"Understatement, sis."
Enterprise ignored the comment.
"I engaged their main force alone."
"I severely damaged Kaga."
"The Sakura fleet withdrew."
"And before leaving..."
"Akagi publicly announced that the Sakura Empire and Iron Blood had formed the Crimson Axis."
"She declared war on the Azur Lane."
The cabin remained silent.
Yuuki finally smiled.
"...Wow."
He looked toward the communications display.
"You really were something back then, Enty."
Enterprise gave a small, nostalgic laugh.
"...I was, Commander."
"...Thirty years ago. Back then when sirens are at the same level as us."
Yuuki nodded slowly.
"And now I think I know why."
He enlarged the timeline one final time.
"The Sirens didn't simply manipulate one nation."
"They manipulated everyone's fears."
"They exploited grief."
"They exploited pride."
"They exploited suspicion."
"They didn't create the war."
"They created the circumstances..."
"...where war became the choice everyone believed they had made themselves."
He looked around the cabin.
"That's the hallmark of a good manipulator."
"They never force your hand."
"They convince you..."
"...that you're acting of your own free will."
No one spoke.
Because when they looked back across thirty years of history...
The pieces fit together with unsettling precision.
For several seconds...
No one spoke.
The only sound over the communications network was the quiet hum of the two Razor Gunships flying through the night.
Then...
A soft voice broke the silence.
"...Shikikan-sama..."
It was Akagi.
Her voice lacked its usual confidence.
Even Kaga remained unusually quiet beside her.
Yuuki immediately recognized the hesitation.
"...Akagi?"
There was another brief silence.
"...Please..."
She lowered her head even though no one could see her.
"...Please don't see Akagi as she was back then."
Her ears drooped.
"...Please don't blame Kaga either."
"We..."
"...I..."
"...made terrible choices."
Kaga quietly closed her eyes.
Neither fox spoke again.
They knew back then they started the war against Azur Lane out of grief.
Yuuki smiled gently inside the ship, speaking through the comms to her.
"Akagi."
"That was thirty years ago."
He spoke calmly.
"The Sirens didn't simply fight you."
"They exploited you."
"They found your greatest weakness."
"They used your love for Amagi."
"They weaponized your grief."
"They turned your desperation into their strategy."
He looked at the tactical display.
"They drained the Sakura Empire."
"They diverted your resources into Orochi."
"They kept Azur Lane occupied."
"And while everyone was focused on fighting each other..."
"...the Sirens quietly prepared for the next phase."
He looked back toward the communications display.
"So no."
"I don't see you as the woman you were."
"I see the woman speaking to me today."
"The carrier who argues with Shoukaku over the smallest things. Teased by Kaguya."
"The woman who worries about her sisters and kind of clingy to me."
"The carrier protecting Hana."
"One of the GDI Naval Shipgirls."
"Our carrier."
He smiled warmly.
"We all have chapters we're not proud of."
"The important part..."
"...is that we kept writing the story."
He paused.
"If God judges anyone..."
"I'd like to think He looks at who we chose to become."
"Not only who we once were."
Silence.
Then he continued.
"You girls weren't evil."
"You were deceived."
"Manipulated."
"Backstabbed."
"And frankly..."
A faint grin appeared.
"...completely bamboozled by the Sirens."
Several quiet laughs escaped across the communications network.
Even Eugen chuckled.
Yuuki shrugged.
"They used your conflict as camouflage."
"While Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis exhausted themselves..."
"The Sirens gathered strength where no one was looking."
"They weren't winning through force."
"They were winning through distraction."
Back aboard the Daedalus...
Kaguya quietly stepped beside Akagi and Kaga.
Without saying a word...
She gently embraced both foxes.
Akagi instinctively leaned into the hug.
Kaga followed a moment later.
Kaguya smiled softly.
"One mistake..."
"...does not define a lifetime."
She gently stroked Akagi's hair.
"Thou hast already paid for thy regrets."
She looked at both sisters.
"Now..."
"Walk forward."
"Not backward."
Akagi finally smiled through tears.
"...Yes..."
"...Kaguya."
Kaga quietly nodded.
"...Thank you."
Around the communications network...
No one spoke for several moments.
The conversation about history...
About guilt...
About old wars...
Quietly came to an end.
Yuuki leaned back slightly in his seat.
"So..."
He smiled.
"Ayanami infiltrated as a spy..."
"...and somehow ended up becoming best friends with Laffey, Javelin and Unicorn."
He chuckled.
"I assume that's how your little group started?"
Javelin smiled brightly over the communications network.
"Yes!"
"It wasn't exactly planned."
"It just..."
"...happened."
Laffey quietly added,
"We never really cared which faction Ayanami belonged to."
"Ayanami was..."
"...Ayanami."
Ayanami offered a soft smile as Javelin and Laffey guided her into a seat in the command room. She had accompanied them to check on Nimi during her mission, having already recovered after collapsing from expelling the corrupted nanobots from her body.
"...I was supposed to gather intelligence."
"...Instead..."
"...I found friends."
Yuuki laughed.
"You've all been best friends for almost thirty years?"
"...Wow."
"Shipgirls really do have long lives. Technically making me younger than all of you."
Javelin giggled.
"Indeed."
Yorktown smiled softly. "Not in terms of experience. You've lived through three lifetimes—that makes you, what, about a hundred years older than us?"
Yuuki sighed. "You really had to point that out, huh?"
Yorktown chuckled. "We just want to seem cute and young in your eyes."
Ayanami tilted her head slightly, her crimson eyes narrowing in quiet curiosity.
"...Three lifetimes?"
There was a pause, as if she was trying to process what that even meant.
Javelin laughed lightly, waving her hand as if brushing the question aside for now.
"Oh, I'll explain that later!" she said brightly. "It's a long story—definitely something better told during a proper slumber party."
Laffey gave a slow, sleepy nod, her half-lidded eyes somehow managing to sparkle with anticipation.
"...Ayanami welcome-back party," she murmured, her voice soft but carrying a rare hint of excitement beneath the usual drowsiness.
Unicorn hugged her plushie tighter, her cheeks faintly flushed as she spoke up shyly.
"Unicorn... wants to join too," she said, her voice gentle but hopeful. "We can have snacks... and stories... and maybe stay up a little late..."
Her eyes brightened at the thought, clearly already imagining the cozy gathering.
"Hey, wait for us to get back first!" Neon cut in over the comms, her voice bursting with energy and playful protest. "You can't start a party without the coolest people there!"
"Indeed," Nimi added with a firm, almost authoritative tone. "There will be no party without me."
A small smile tugged at her lips despite her attempt to sound serious, betraying her own eagerness to be part of it.
Yuuki let out a long, resigned sigh, rubbing his temples as he leaned back in his seat.
"...As long as it's not in my room," he muttered.
He could already picture it—decorations hastily taped to the walls, snacks scattered everywhere, blankets and pillows forming some kind of chaotic fortress.
And knowing them...
They had probably already started planning everything without asking him.
"...I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"
Yuuki turned his attention back to Enterprise.
"So..."
"What happened next, Enty?"
Enterprise's calm voice filled both Razor Gunships. It was a story from thirty years ago, and if Yuuki wanted to truly understand the Sirens and the Shipgirls, he needed to hear it.
"As Azur Lane repaired the damage to our base..."
"...the wounded were treated."
"Myself."
"San Diego."
"And many others."
She paused.
"It gradually became clear that the central disagreement between Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis..."
"...was the Crimson Axis' willingness to employ dangerous Siren technology."
Yuuki scratched his chin.
"...That's kind of petty."
Enterprise gave a quiet sigh.
"It was."
"It took us thirty years..."
"...to realize how manipulated we had been. Only much later did we come to understand that the war itself had been orchestrated by the Sirens. They manipulated Akagi into building Orochi under the promise that it would revive Amagi, using the conflict as a pretext to deploy Orochi and ultimately destroy the shipgirls."
She continued.
"Despite my repairs being incomplete..."
"...I remained on active watch."
Eugen picked up the story.
"Meanwhile..."
"Akagi and Kaga were recovering from their defeat."
"I met with them shortly afterward."
"Akagi ordered Zuikaku and Shoukaku to ambush an approaching Azur Lane fleet."
"She instructed me to support them."
"I accepted."
"I brought Z23..."
"...and Ayanami."
Yuuki blinked.
"...Why do I get the feeling..."
"...the entire war somehow revolved around Enterprise and Akagi?"
Eugen laughed.
"It pretty much did."
"Teddy Bear."
Enterprise didn't deny it.
"The Azur Lane task force consisted of..."
"Hammann."
"Arizona."
"Northampton."
"Helena."
"Long Island."
"And my sister..."
"...Hornet."
"The fleet was attacked by the Crimson Axis."
"I deployed despite my incomplete repairs."
"Cleveland..."
"Javelin..."
"And Laffey..."
"Accompanied me."
She continued calmly.
"I engaged Zuikaku and Shoukaku."
"Cleveland focused on protecting our damaged allies."
"Meanwhile..."
"Javelin and Laffey..."
"...hesitated."
"They were reluctant to fight..."
"...Z23 and Ayanami."
Nimi nodded beside Eugen. "I didn't want to fight Laffey and Javelin, but we were under orders."
Yuuki smiled knowingly.
"Because by then..."
"...they already considered each other friends."
"Yes."
Javelin answered quietly.
"We never wanted to fight."
Enterprise resumed.
"As the battle intensified..."
"The main Royal Navy fleet arrived."
"Led by Her Majesty..."
"...Queen Elizabeth."
"Elly.." Yuuki murmured quietly.
"I eventually gained the upper hand against Zuikaku."
"But..."
"My earlier battle damage finally caught up with me."
"My equipment failed..."
"...at the worst possible moment."
Yuuki raised an eyebrow.
"...Let me guess."
He simply listened quietly.
"...Bel?"
A soft chuckle came from the communications network.
"Yes, Master."
Belfast answered.
"I arrived shortly thereafter."
"I was able to secure Enterprise's withdrawal."
Enterprise smiled faintly.
"She saved me."
Yuuki laughed.
"So even back then..."
"...Bel was saving everyone."
Enterprise nodded.
"Believe it or not..."
"I served as the acting commander for much of the campaign."
"Belfast acted as my personal attendant."
"And..."
She looked toward another familiar icon.
"Vestal remained my physician."
Vestal laughed gently.
"I spent almost as much time repairing Enterprise..."
"...as she spent damaging herself."
The entire communications network laughed.
Yuuki shook his head.
"So that's where your teamwork came from."
Enterprise nodded.
"It became routine."
Yuuki smiled.
"And Akagi?"
Enterprise's expression softened.
"When the fighting stopped..."
"I finally had time to breathe."
She looked toward the Sakura carrier's icon on the communications display.
"And once the second war against the Sirens truly began..."
"I realized..."
"...Akagi wasn't so different from the rest of us."
"She worried."
"She laughed."
"She mourned."
"She fought for those precious to her."
Enterprise smiled warmly.
"The only difference between us..."
"...was that we had once stood on opposite sides of the battlefield."
Akagi quietly lowered her ears.
"...Thank you..."
"...Enterprise."
Enterprise simply replied,
"We're sisters-in-arms now."
"That's all that matters."
Yuuki rested his chin against one armored hand.
"So..."
He looked toward Yorktown's icon.
"Where was Hana during all of this?"
Enterprise was about to answer.
"Hana..."
"...she..."
Yorktown interrupted with a small smile.
"I was bedridden."
The communications network became quiet.
"I nearly died after my battle against Hiryuu and Souryuu."
"My injuries were... extensive."
"I spent a long time recovering."
Yuuki quietly nodded.
"So that's why."
Enterprise smiled sadly.
"You've seen what Hana can do now, Commander."
Yuuki nodded.
"I have."
Enterprise continued.
"If she had been healthy..."
"...she would've made a better acting commander than I ever did."
Yorktown immediately reached over and gently patted Enterprise's shoulder.
"But fate had other plans, Enty."
"There wasn't anyone else. It really makes me appreciate the technology GDI has now. If we had access to a med bay back then, I would have recovered much faster."
Enterprise smiled back.
"When I finally woke up..."
"...I was in dormitory."
"That was where I properly met Belfast."
"She had already saved me once during the previous battle."
Belfast inclined her head modestly.
"It was simply my duty."
Enterprise continued.
"I managed to delay the Red Axis long enough..."
"...for the main Royal Navy fleet to arrive."
Belfast calmly took over the explanation.
"Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth."
"Warspite."
"Lady Hood."
"Edinburgh."
"And Sheffield."
"Their arrival forced the Red Axis to withdraw."
Illustrious' gentle voice joined the conversation.
"After the battle..."
"Prince of Wales and I became increasingly concerned."
"Enterprise showed absolutely no regard for her own safety."
"So..."
"We consulted Her Majesty."
"We needed to find a way to help her."
Vestal sighed dramatically.
"And then..."
"...I finally arrived."
She folded her arms.
"The first thing I saw..."
"...was Enterprise's rigging."
She closed her eyes.
"It was held together by hope..."
"...and poor life choices."
Laughter spread through both Razor Gunships.
Enterprise coughed awkwardly.
"...Believe it or not..."
"I was eventually convinced to attend a beach gathering."
Yuuki blinked.
"...A beach party?"
Enterprise nodded.
"Belfast."
"Unicorn."
"And the others."
"They convinced me."
She looked out the Razor Gunship's live screen window.
"Back then..."
"I believed Shipgirls existed only as weapons."
"The ocean..."
"...was nothing more than another battlefield."
Yuuki smiled softly.
"...Still think that way?"
Enterprise immediately answered.
"I always did."
She looked toward him.
"...Until you convinced me otherwise."
Yuuki smiled but said nothing.
Belfast spoke next.
"I confronted Enterprise directly."
"I warned her..."
"...that if she continued fighting solely for victory..."
"...she would eventually forget why she fought in the first place."
Enterprise quietly nodded.
"I remember."
Belfast continued.
"Not long afterward..."
"The base received a distress signal."
"I departed alongside Enterprise."
"Cleveland."
"Hammann."
"We discovered two unfamiliar Shipgirls."
"...Ning Hai and Ping Hai"
Enterprise nodded.
"Yes."
Yuuki nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder they're so familiar with you girls."
Enterprise replied calmly, "They were the very first Dragon Empery shipgirls we ever encountered."
"They explained that Siren vessels had ambushed them."
"A damaged Siren ship attacked us shortly afterward."
Enterprise continued.
"I deliberately drew its attention."
"I wanted to protect everyone else."
Yuuki sighed.
"...Of course you did."
Enterprise smiled sheepishly.
"My damaged rigging malfunctioned again."
"Belfast rescued me."
"Again."
Belfast looked toward Enterprise with a gentle smile.
"Only then..."
"...did I realize something."
She folded her hands neatly.
"Acting commander Enterprise..."
"...was far more compassionate than she allowed herself to appear."
"So I decided..."
"...to remain beside her."
"And teach her..."
"...how to become a proper gentlewoman."
Yuuki finally burst into laughter.
"Pfft..."
"Hahaha..."
He looked toward Belfast.
"A gentlewoman?"
Belfast nodded without missing a beat.
"Indeed, Master."
Yuuki pointed toward himself.
"And yet..."
"You never tried teaching me."
Belfast smiled sweetly.
"You are considerably more difficult. I rather wait for Lady Hood to be revived before I shall attempt to teach you."
Yuuki placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"I am a gentleman."
Several voices answered at once.
"...No."
"...Not really."
"...Absolutely not."
"...Commander?"
"...Questionable."
Even Yorktown giggled.
Belfast delivered the final blow with perfect composure.
"You are..."
She paused deliberately.
"...more akin to a caveman."
The entire communications network erupted into laughter.
Yuuki simply crossed his arms proudly.
"I'll have you know..."
"I am perfectly happy being a caveman."
Neon immediately laughed.
"Only Commander would wear that like a badge of honor!"
Belfast then delivered her verdict with calm authority. "Then, once Lady Hood and Lady Amagi have safely returned, we shall begin the process of shaping you into a proper gentleman."
Yuuki let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Cut me some slack, Bel."
"No can do, Master," Belfast replied smoothly, her tone as composed as ever, though a faint glimmer of amusement danced beneath her refined exterior. "You are both my master and my beloved. Your conduct reflects directly upon me, and I cannot allow the head of the Royal Maids to be seen as having failed in refining her own caveman."
Even Enterprise couldn't suppress a laugh.
For just a little while...
The weight of memories from thirty years ago faded beneath the easy banter of comrades flying toward their next rescue mission.
Belfast smiled faintly.
"If Master can help refine acting commander Enterprise into the woman she is today..."
"I'm certain I can eventually refine my own beloved caveman."
Yuuki immediately looked alarmed.
"Go easy on me, Bel."
Belfast's smile only became gentler.
"...No promises, Master."
Laughter spread across both Razor Gunships.
Yuuki surrendered with a sigh.
"...Anyway."
He leaned back in his seat.
"We still have time before insertion."
"What happened next?"
Enterprise continued.
"Ping Hai and Ning Hai reported that while conducting a scouting mission..."
"...they encountered a Siren fleet."
"The fleet wasn't commanded by ordinary Siren vessels."
"It was led by a high-class Siren."
Her voice became more serious.
"It suggested the Sirens intended to exploit the conflict between Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis."
Yuuki nodded.
"So while everyone was fighting each other..."
"...the real enemy was already moving."
"Exactly."
Enterprise replied.
Belfast continued the story.
"At the same time..."
"Her Majesty ordered Sheffield and Edinburgh to infiltrate the Sakura Empire."
"In order to gather intelligence."
Yuuki smiled knowingly.
"So..."
"I was right."
"The Sirens were manipulating both sides from behind the curtain."
Enterprise nodded.
"Spot on, Commander."
Yuuki looked toward another familiar icon.
"...Akagi."
"Would you like to tell this part?"
He immediately added,
"If it's difficult..."
"...don't force yourself."
There was only a brief pause.
Then Akagi answered softly.
"...Don't worry, Shikikan-sama."
"Akagi wishes to remain beside you."
"If you are to understand us..."
"...then you should know everything."
"Even the parts of my past..."
"...that I regret."
Yuuki simply nodded.
"I'm listening."
Akagi began.
"After returning to the Sakura Empire..."
"Kaga."
"Shoukaku."
"Zuikaku."
"Ayanami."
"And I..."
"...reported directly to Lady Nagato."
"After much discussion..."
"Lady Nagato granted permission..."
"...to proceed with Project Orochi."
Yuuki blinked.
"...Wait."
He frowned.
"Nagato approved it?"
Akagi slowly lowered her ears.
"...Yes."
"At the time..."
"We believed Orochi would become the weapon needed to protect the Sakura Empire."
Belfast quietly continued.
"According to the intelligence reports..."
"Sheffield and Edinburgh shadowed Akashi."
"They followed her beneath the Sakura Empire base."
"Into a hidden cove."
"There..."
"They witnessed Akagi meeting a Siren."
Yuuki already knew the answer.
"...Observer."
"Yes."
Belfast nodded.
"Observer was personally overseeing Project Orochi."
"She and Akagi were assembling a massive Siren battleship."
"Using a critical Siren component..."
"...known as the Black Box."
Akashi's voice joined in.
"Once Observer realized we had discovered the facility..."
"...she attempted to eliminate us, nyaa."
"She wanted to silence Akashi as well."
"But..."
"We managed to escape."
"With the Black Box. Akashi owes everything to Sheffield and Edinburgh."
"She hopes they are safe out there, nyaa. It's been years."
"We even slipped past Takao and Ayanami."
Yuuki suddenly froze.
"...Hold on."
Everyone looked toward him.
He leaned forward.
"...The Black Box..."
He remembered dismantling it back on Home Island.
Taking it apart piece by piece.
Removing every trace of its original operating system before installing Jarvis.
He slowly looked around.
"...That Black Box..."
"...was the one we recovered while repairing Orochi."
Yuu immediately looked over.
"The same one?"
Yuuki nodded.
"Yeah."
"I completely disassembled it."
"Vergil and I stripped out every subsystem."
"I removed its original control architecture."
"And installed Jarvis in its place."
Yuu folded her arms thoughtfully.
"According to Vergil's analysis..."
"...the Black Box was already heavily damaged."
"It required two synchronized controllers just to function."
Yuuki nodded.
"That explains what we saw."
He looked toward Akagi and Kaga's icons on the communications display.
"When we fought both of you at the Azur Lane Headquarters..."
"Orochi wasn't fully operational."
"It needed both of you to control it."
Kaga answered calmly.
"Yes."
"The Black Box had been critically damaged during the combined assault thirty years earlier."
"It was never fully repaired."
She looked down at her hands.
"We only restored enough functionality..."
"...to perform a single emergency teleport."
"That was how Orochi reached the headquarters."
Akagi quietly continued.
"The remaining operating system controlled most of Orochi."
"Kaga and I merely guided its movements..."
"...and authorized its weapons."
"It was never under complete control."
Yuuki slowly nodded.
"So..."
"It wasn't really alive anymore."
"It was limping along."
"Using damaged programming."
"Yes."
Kaga replied.
"Exactly."
Yuuki remembered the battle.
The massive hull.
The unstable energy readings.
The sluggish reactions.
At the time he had assumed Orochi was simply unfinished.
Now...
It made far more sense.
Jarvis quietly added.
"My analysis of the recovered Black Box supports Lady Kaga's statement."
"Multiple command processors had permanently failed."
"The remaining systems were operating in degraded emergency mode."
Yuuki looked toward the Sakura sisters.
"So when I fired the Ion Cannon..."
Akagi instinctively winced at the memory.
"...It struck Orochi's central core."
Kaga nodded.
"The remaining Black Box collapsed."
"The feedback propagated directly through our synchronization link."
Her normally composed expression softened.
"The pain..."
"...was unlike anything we had experienced."
"We immediately severed our connection."
"Otherwise..."
"...the backlash could have destroyed our own Wisdom Cubes."
Silence briefly settled across the communications network.
Yuuki rubbed the back of his neck.
"...I see."
He smiled apologetically.
"Again..."
"...sorry for hitting you that hard back then, Kaga."
Kaga looked directly toward his camera.
Instead of resentment...
She smiled.
"Being defeated by you..."
"...remains one of my greatest honors, Shikikan-sama."
Yuuki blinked.
"...Really?"
She nodded without hesitation.
"It proved my judgment correct."
"My chosen commander..."
"...was worthy."
She paused only briefly before adding in her usual composed tone,
"Although..."
"I still hope one day..."
"...to face you again."
"At my strongest."
"A proper duel."
She smiled ever so slightly.
"For my hand in marriage."
The entire communications network became silent.
Then—
"Mou!"
Akagi puffed out her cheeks.
Her fox ears stood upright.
"Shikikan-sama defeated Akagi too!"
She folded her arms dramatically.
"Don't forget that!"
"If anyone deserves that duel..."
"It should be Akagi!"
Kaga remained perfectly composed.
"I merely stated my wish."
"It is not a competition."
"It absolutely is!"
Akagi protested.
Yuuki buried his face behind one armored hand.
"...Why do I feel like I accidentally started another rivalry?"
Eugen laughed as she hugged his arm.
"You absolutely did, Teddy Bear. Don't forget you won me fair and square, my beloved fiancée."
Yorktown giggled over the command channel.
"I give it five minutes before they start arguing again."
Back aboard the Daedalus...
Kaguya watched the exchange unfold.
A gentle chuckle escaped her lips.
Only moments ago...
Akagi had been recounting one of the darkest chapters of her life.
Now...
She was pouting over who had earned the right to challenge Yuuki first.
Kaguya smiled warmly.
"...Thou truly hast returned to thyself."
Akagi blinked before smiling brightly.
"Of course."
She looked toward Yuuki's image on the display.
"As long as Shikikan-sama is here..."
"Akagi will always smile."
Yuuki smiled as he looked around the cabin.
"...Looks like we've got quite the audience."
Neon leaned forward immediately.
"Yeah!"
"Don't stop the story now!"
Anis crossed her arms.
"We're already invested."
Rapi gave a quiet sigh.
"...I admit."
"I'm curious too."
Mary smiled.
"It is rather fascinating."
Pepper nodded enthusiastically.
"I want to know what happened next."
Nayuta folded her sleeves neatly.
"This humble one wishes to hear the tale as well."
Yuu laughed over the squad channel.
"Looks like you've got listeners from both Razor Gunships and the Daedalus, Chief."
Akashi immediately raised both hands.
"Then let Akashi continue, nyaa!"
She cleared her throat dramatically.
"After Sheffield, Edinburgh and Akashi escaped with the Black Box..."
"...we were forced to hide on an abandoned island, nyaa."
"The Sakura Empire and Iron Blood formed a blockade around the island."
"There was nowhere to run, nyaa."
Akashi smiled proudly.
"But Azur Lane didn't abandon us, nyaa."
"They sent a rescue fleet."
Prince of Wales picked up the story.
"Our main fleet launched a diversionary attack."
"While the enemy focused on us..."
"A smaller strike team slipped through the blockade."
She smiled.
"Belfast."
"Cleveland."
"Javelin."
"And Laffey."
"They reached the island undetected."
Yuuki nodded.
"This Cleveland..."
"...she sounds like quite the woman."
Takao quietly continued.
"We intercepted Belfast and Cleveland."
"Meanwhile..."
"Javelin and Laffey encountered Ayanami once again."
She looked toward the little destroyer.
"Zuikaku and Shoukaku departed to intercept Enterprise."
"While Sheffield's group became surrounded by an Iron Blood task force."
She listed them calmly.
"Prinz Eugen."
"Z23."
"Z1."
"And Köln."
Eugen nodded.
"That was our assignment."
"Cleveland delayed our advance."
"While Belfast escorted Sheffield and Edinburgh."
Enterprise continued.
"Zuikaku and Shoukaku eventually realized..."
"...they had been deceived."
"They had chased Hornet."
"While I infiltrated the island from another direction."
Yuuki chuckled.
"So Hornet was the decoy."
Enterprise nodded.
"Exactly."
"I forced Eugen's fleet to withdraw."
Eugen smiled.
"You certainly did."
Then...
Ayanami quietly spoke.
"I engaged..."
"...Javelin and Laffey."
Her voice remained soft.
"But..."
"I couldn't understand."
"...why they refused to fight."
She looked toward the two girls now sitting together safely aboard the Daedalus.
"Laffey simply told me..."
"...that even if we stood on opposite sides..."
"...she still wanted to be my friend."
The communications network became quiet.
Javelin smiled warmly.
"We never saw you as our enemy."
"You were just..."
"...our friend wearing a different uniform."
Laffey gave a sleepy nod.
"...Friends..."
"...don't disappear because someone tells them to fight."
Ayanami lowered her eyes.
"...That battle..."
"...was the first time I questioned my orders."
"Ayanami even refuses Laffey's offer of friendship and flees since I was still under orders."
Yuuki smiled quietly.
"And that's exactly what the Sirens feared."
Several voices answered at once.
"...What?"
Yuuki looked toward the tactical map.
"They could manipulate nations."
"They could manipulate admirals."
"They could manipulate grief."
"But friendship..."
He looked toward Javelin, Laffey, Ayanami and Nimi.
"...Friendship doesn't care what color uniform you're wearing."
"They needed Shipgirls to hate each other."
"The moment that stopped..."
"...their entire strategy began falling apart."
Enterprise smiled.
"I never thought about it that way."
Yuuki shrugged.
"History usually remembers the battles."
"I think..."
"...the friendships mattered far more."
For a few moments...
No one interrupted.
The story of a war fought decades ago...
Was slowly becoming a lesson for the next generation fighting one now.
Belfast gave a graceful nod.
"Back then..."
"Enterprise was... rather awkward."
Enterprise immediately let out a sigh.
"...Bel."
"You don't have to tell everyone."
Belfast smiled politely.
"I believe I do."
She looked toward Yuuki.
"Master deserves to know."
"I was Enterprise's personal maid."
"I witnessed every step of her growth."
Enterprise covered part of her face with one hand.
"...Please continue with literally anything else."
A few quiet laughs spread through the communications channel.
Belfast remained perfectly composed.
"Enterprise rarely interacted with the others outside of combat."
"She isolated herself."
"It took quite some effort..."
"...to remind her she was allowed to smile."
Enterprise muttered quietly.
"...You're making it sound worse than it was."
"I am merely stating historical facts."
Belfast answered without missing a beat.
Even Yuuki chuckled.
"I never would've imagined."
Enterprise folded her arms.
"...Anyway."
She deliberately changed the subject.
"The senior Shipgirls began examining the recovered Black Box."
"When I touched it..."
Her expression became distant.
"...I saw someone. The other 'me'."
Yuuki tilted his head.
"...Ash?"
Enterprise slowly nodded.
"I didn't know her name then."
"I only saw..."
"...another version of myself."
"A version wearing different equipment."
"Different eyes."
"But..."
"...it felt real."
Yuuki quietly nodded.
"So your first encounter with Ash..."
"...was through the Black Box."
"Yes."
Enterprise answered.
"When I returned to the base..."
"I was surprised."
"It had become lively again."
"Akashi."
"Ping Hai."
"Ning Hai."
"They were already opening shops."
She smiled faintly.
"It almost felt..."
"...normal."
Belfast gently continued.
"I reminded Enterprise..."
"...that Shipgirls are not merely weapons."
"They are people."
"They laugh."
"They cry."
"They live."
"And if they forget that..."
"...they lose the very reason they exist."
Enterprise looked toward Yuuki.
"It took me a long time..."
"...to accept that part of me was human."
Yuuki smiled.
"And now?"
Enterprise smiled back.
"Now..."
"I know it."
Silence settled comfortably over the communications network.
Then Akagi quietly spoke.
"...At that time..."
"Akagi wished for only one thing."
"To see Sister Amagi again."
Kaga nodded.
"Nothing more."
"The others sought victory over Azur Lane."
"But Nee-sama..."
"...only wanted her sister."
Yuuki nodded slowly.
"Amagi told me the same thing."
"When I met her within the Void World."
He smiled gently.
"She described you as..."
"...a handful."
Several people quietly laughed.
Yuuki continued.
"You poured the Sakura Empire's resources into Project Orochi."
"Believing..."
"...that somehow..."
"...it could bring Amagi back."
Akagi lowered her ears.
"It was foolish..."
She smiled bitterly.
"I admit it now."
"I built Orochi."
"I believed the Sirens."
"I let grief blind me."
"It was..."
"...a very stupid mistake."
Thunk.
A light karate chop landed squarely atop her head.
"...Ow..."
Akagi rubbed her forehead.
"Kaguya-nee..."
Kaguya stood beside her with folded arms.
"Thou sellest thyself short."
Her voice carried both firmness and affection.
"Where is the Akagi who smiled but moments ago?"
"Where is the fox who welcomed new sisters aboard the Daedalus?"
"Where is the carrier who now fights to save others instead of sacrificing them?"
Akagi quietly lowered her eyes.
"...I'm..."
"...here."
"Exactly."
Kaguya smiled warmly.
"Then stop speaking as though thou art still imprisoned by thy past."
"Thou art no longer that Akagi."
"Thou hast changed."
"Take pride in that."
Akagi looked up slowly.
"...Kaguya-nee..."
Kaguya gently placed a hand atop her head.
"If thou truly wishest to stand beside dearest..."
"Then let him see..."
"...the Akagi who chose to become better."
"Not the one the Sirens manipulated thirty years ago."
For several moments...
Akagi remained silent.
Then...
She smiled.
A genuine smile.
"...Hai."
"Akagi understands."
She looked toward Yuuki through the communications feed.
"This time..."
"...Shikikan-sama will only see the Akagi..."
"...who walks forward with everyone."
Yuuki smiled back.
"I already do from the moment we met in the void world."
And for the first time since the conversation had turned toward the old war...
Akagi no longer looked burdened by the memories.
Only determined not to repeat them.
Yuuki quietly looked around the cabin.
Even through the communications feed...
He could see the difference.
Ayanami was no longer the lonely destroyer burdened by thirty years of regret.
She sat between Laffey and Javelin.
Waiting for Nimi to come back.
Laughing.
Talking.
Exactly where she belonged.
She had finally come home.
The same was true for Akagi.
For Enterprise.
For Eugen.
For everyone carrying scars from a war they never truly wanted.
Retelling those memories clearly hurt.
But perhaps...
That was how wounds finally healed.
By sharing them with people willing to listen.
Yuuki smiled quietly.
"...I'm still waiting for one chapter."
Everyone looked toward him.
"The deployment of Orochi."
"I know bits and pieces."
"Akagi deployed it."
"The combined Azur Lane fleet stopped it."
"It wasn't destroyed."
"Only disabled."
"It was dragged back to the Sakura Empire."
"Where it sat..."
"...rusting for thirty years. Before Akagi spent nearly a decade painstakingly restoring and reactivating it—salvaging its damaged systems, replacing degraded components, and stabilizing its volatile core—so it could be deployed once more against the Sirens during the assault on Azur Lane Headquarters. In the end, however, Orochi was overwhelmed and ultimately captured by the GDI, where it was repurposed and refitted to serve as the flagship of the GDI Second Naval Fleet."
Akagi slowly nodded.
"We'll tell you that story as well, Shikikan-sama."
Yuuki smiled.
"I'll be waiting."
Anis suddenly stretched in her seat.
"...You know."
"It's actually pretty interesting."
Yuuki glanced toward her.
"Hm?"
"Hearing stories from our predecessors."
Yuu tilted her head.
"...Predecessors?"
Anis nodded.
"Yeah."
Yuuki chuckled.
"She's not wrong."
Everyone looked toward him.
"The Nikkes are, in many ways..."
"...the successors to the Shipgirls."
Several of the newer Nikkes looked confused.
Yuuki began explaining.
"When humanity lost the ability to reproduce what the Creator originally achieved..."
"They reverse-engineered what little they still possessed."
"Bastion Cubes."
He projected a comparison onto the tactical display.
"Wisdom Cubes."
"Bastion Cubes."
"They're cousins."
"But..."
"They're not equals."
Kaguya quietly watched the diagrams.
"What meanest thou?"
Yuuki looked toward the Sakura arcane flagship.
"It means..."
"The Shipgirls were masterpieces."
"The Nikkes..."
"...were humanity trying to recreate a masterpiece with incomplete instructions."
The room became quiet.
He continued.
"The Creator designed Wisdom Cubes capable of copying an entire human template."
"Appearance."
"Neural architecture."
"Personality."
"The Shipgirl body is then constructed around that template."
He looked toward Enterprise.
"Your memories..."
"...don't come from your human counterpart."
"They come from the historical vessel data stored within your Wisdom Cube."
"So..."
"Your personalities resemble your originals."
"But..."
"Your experiences..."
"...are entirely your own."
Several Shipgirls quietly reflected on that.
Yuuki smiled gently.
"Somewhere..."
"If they survived..."
"Your original human counterparts would be elderly women by now."
"Perhaps grandmothers."
"Perhaps..."
"...they've already passed away."
Silence followed.
Then he turned toward the Nikkes.
"Bastion Cubes are different."
"They're actually..."
"...a cruder solution."
Rapi quietly nodded.
"We don't use complete neural templates."
Yuuki continued.
"They take an actual human brain."
"They digitize it."
"They install NIMPH."
"They place it inside an artificial body."
"The result..."
"...is a Nikke."
Neon's voice immediately became louder.
"But Commander fixed that!"
She proudly pointed toward herself.
"His blood removed our NIMPH restrictions!"
"We're free!"
Several Shipgirls smiled at her enthusiasm.
Kaguya slowly exhaled.
"...Humankind truly possesseth endless ingenuity."
She paused.
"...And equal capacity for folly."
Yuuki nodded.
"That's humanity."
"They create miracles."
"They create disasters."
"Sometimes..."
"...they create both at the same time."
He looked toward the tactical map.
"But don't mistake humanity for its worst examples."
"There are still good people."
He remembered the civilians of Magellan.
The researchers who chose to help.
The mechanics keeping old machines alive.
The families simply trying to survive.
"Protect those who choose to build the future."
"They deserve it."
His expression became firmer.
"As for those..."
"...who threaten our people."
"...Who enslave."
"...Who murder."
"...Who seek to repeat the mistakes of the past."
His voice became calm.
"I'll stop them."
"If they leave us alone..."
"We leave them alone."
"If they wish to coexist..."
"We welcome them."
"But if they come after the GDI..."
"...I'll end the fight before it reaches our home."
Silence filled both Razor Gunships.
Finally...
Neon grinned.
"Yep."
"That's our Commander."
Anis laughed.
"Talks like a philosopher..."
"...then casually ends with 'I'll end them.'"
Yuuki shrugged.
"I prefer diplomacy."
He smiled.
"But I also prepare for the day diplomacy fails."
No one argued.
Because after everything they had witnessed...
That was exactly the kind of commander they wanted leading them into the battles ahead.
Yuu nodded thoughtfully.
"...No wonder the Levelling System accepted both Shipgirls and Nikkes with almost no compatibility issues."
She enlarged both biological scans side by side.
"Their internal architectures are different..."
"...but their core framework is remarkably similar."
"They share a similar foundation, but Bastion Cubes were created later by humans attempting to replicate the Creator's work."
Yuuki nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked toward both groups through the squad-wide communications.
"Each was designed to excel where the other struggles."
He pointed toward the Shipgirl schematic.
"Shipgirls dominate the sea."
"They possess riggings."
"Naval mobility."
"Maritime logistics."
"Ocean superiority."
"They also possess innate abilities unique to their classes."
"Those abilities evolve as they gain experience."
He switched to the Nikke schematic.
"Nikkes."
"They dominate on land."
"Their combat frames allow them to wield weapons no normal human could even lift."
"They can deploy Nikke Modes."
"The ability to push their combat output to devastating levels."
Neon proudly raised a fist.
"Firepower!"
Yuuki laughed.
"Exactly."
"But..."
He pointed toward another comparison.
"Nikkes can't fight on open water."
"They require transport."
"They don't possess riggings."
"They compensate with overwhelming ground firepower."
Mary quietly nodded.
"Each was built for a different battlefield."
"Right."
Yuuki answered.
"So asking which one is superior..."
"...is asking whether a battleship is better than a tank."
"The answer depends entirely on where you're fighting."
He looked around the cabin.
"If both fought independently..."
"Each would eventually reach a limitation."
"But..."
A smile slowly appeared beneath his helmet.
"When both fight together..."
"...that's when something incredible happens."
Everyone listened.
He remembered the battle against the Milerurk Queen.
The image appeared on the tactical display.
Shipgirls cutting through the sea.
Nikkes riding atop deployed riggings.
Coordinated artillery.
Ground fire synchronized with naval bombardment.
Air support arriving overhead.
"It was beautiful."
Yuuki admitted.
"I watched Nikkes standing atop Shipgirl riggings."
"One controlled the sea."
"The other controlled the battlefield."
"They moved..."
"...as though they had trained together for years."
Rapi quietly smiled.
"I remember."
Neon grinned.
"It was awesome."
Anis laughed.
"I'll admit..."
"I never expected riding shipgirls would become part of my job."
Even several Shipgirls chuckled.
Yuuki folded his arms.
"That's the future I want."
"Not Shipgirls replacing Nikkes."
"Not Nikkes replacing Shipgirls."
"But both standing beside one another."
Yuu smiled.
"The Creator built two masterpieces..."
"...just in different forms."
Yuuki nodded.
"And together..."
"They become something even greater."
His gaze shifted toward the island slowly approaching on the horizon.
"Which means..."
He smiled.
"The Raptures..."
"...and the Sirens..."
"...are about to discover exactly what happens..."
"...when the sea and the land decide to fight as one."
Around both Razor Gunships...
Quiet smiles spread among the Shipgirls and Nikkes alike.
Because for perhaps the first time...
Neither group saw themselves as replacements for the other.
Only as comrades...
Completing what the other lacked.